(1) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to log splitting devices and more particularly to a log splitting head which may be attached to the main frame of a log splitting machine.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
With the onset of the present energy crisis, many people are utilizing wood as an alternate energy source. The wood is burned in fireplaces or in a variety of wood burning stoves to generate heat. For ease of placing the wood in the stove or fireplace and for a constant burn, it is desirable that the wood used be of uniform size. Prior log splitting heads do not produce wood with this desired uniformity.
Many devices have been used in the past for splitting logs. The most common is the standard wedge which is driven into a log by a sledgehammer and splits the log in two. Variations on the standard wedge have been made which split the log into more than two pieces. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,046.
When splitting large numbers of logs, it is quite common to use a log splitting machine with a power actuated ram. The log to be split is placed in the machine and the ram forces the log up against a splitting wedge or splitting head. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,862,651; 4,157,105; 4,176,696 and 4,236,556 are exemplary of such machines. Often these machines have a fixed head permanently mounted to the machine and provide for only splitting the logs in half. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,105, the splitting head may be enlarged to split various sized logs in half.
The head in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,651 includes a vertical cutting wedge as well as a horizontal cutting wedge. With this head, a log may be split into quarters with one pass through the head. Also, the horizontal cutting wedge is hydraulically adjustable to accommodate logs of varying diameter. However, the size of the quartered logs will not be uniform but will vary directly with the size of the initial log. Further, this head is permanently attached to the log splitting machine and requires a hydraulic system to adjust the horizontal wedge and thus handle different sized logs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,696 shows a similar head.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a log splitting head which can be used in combination with a power actuated ram.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a log splitting head which can accommodate logs of varying size with minimal moving parts and which provides for simultaneous multiple splits.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a log splitting head which splits logs into sections which are especially uniform and neat regardless of the initial size of the log.